Tuesday, July 11, 2006

New England Futures?

Seems this story has been getting lots of play in the press the last day or so. Could California wine's day in the sun, so to speak, be almost over due to global warming and rising temperatures? And, could New England be poised for future winemaking stardom thanks to the same phenomenon?

As someone long concerned about environmental issues, I never dreamed there could be an upside to this disturbing trend. As I read the latest, my mind started to wander -- could Connecticut cabernet become the new gold standard? Could a new winter tradition of warming one's selve with Puritan port emerge?

But, alas, as I got to the last paragraph, I realized that selling shares in my future winery wasn't going to happen. For one thing, could take the next century for this trend to play out. But more importantly, we're just too darned wet and humid out here. Even if our temperatures eventually become perfect for grapes, this is the land of mildew and fungus -- not anyone's ideal bouquet.

As you may know, I've been making it my business lately to visit Connecticut wineries, and I've heard a lot about mold and mildew and the never-ending challenge they pose to farmers. If you're lucky enough to live near more ideal wine-producing areas, you should be more than grateful. You should refuse to stick your head in the sand like these people.

1 Comments:

Anonymous said...

I've read the same, if not similar articles. However the global warming that will make CT a good wine producing area will change the climate in such a way as to make it more like California is now, therefore good-bye mold and mildew. Oh, and I was pointed to your site by a tea drinking coworker of yours.